A Toolkit for Invasive Annual Grass Management in the West
/The Western Governors’ Association (WGA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), under a Shared Stewardship Memorandum of Understanding, have been collaborating on efforts to meaningfully address the large-scale infestation of invasive annual grasses on western forests and rangelands. The result of this effort is a new toolkit for land managers to address the spread of invasive annual grasses in the West, including species such as cheatgrass, medusahead, and ventanata. WGA and USDA released the toolkit during a webinar, which featured presentations by members of the interagency committee that worked to develop the toolkit.
The toolkit is comprised of three elements:
A roadmap for invasive grass management in the West, with new best management practices for the identification and protection of relatively intact “core” areas;
Case studies highlighting the application of these practices in Idaho and Wyoming; and
A new geospatial data layer to help state and local officials manage invasive annual grasses at home, while also offering opportunities to identify new cross-boundary collaborative projects.